'Tales of the Sissy' is a play on words related to Armistead Maupin's novel 'Tales of the City' which chronicles the daily lives of several seemingly unrelated people. Since my blog chronicles my daily life and I am gay (hence the stereotype 'sissy'), I decided to call my blog 'Tales of the Sissy'.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

I saw this on facebook and am waiting for one of you kind readers to send me a t-shirt with this on it.

Work has been really busy lately. This isn't surprising since I sell real estate in a beach resort area and its nearly July. I never really have a day off. Even when I'm not scheduled to work I get work-related calls on my cell phone and have to log into my work email to help clients. But I'd rather be busy and making money than not.

A friend sent me this which gave me a good chuckle.

Marvin Parker has turned out to be a complete delight! He's got so much personality and energy. He loves going for walks and he's settling into a routine. But he's very different than Jordan. For instance, Jordan liked to eat first, then go for a walk and do her business. Marvin prefers to go for a walk and do his business first, then eat. So we are learning to adjust to his routine too.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Friday, June 22, 2012

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget yet too small to be their own post.

I saw this on facebook and had to share it!

Whenever I clean my ears with a Q-tip it makes my eyes tear up. Why do you suppose that happens?

I wish I had a t-shirt with this on it:

I was off work yesterday and after doing some housework and running a few errands I went to the beach. It was really hot outside but it was more comfortable at the beach with the shade of an umbrella and the breeze coming off the water.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Today was my day off, and as is often the case, my days off are a mixture of business and pleasure. When you work in real estate you get used to spending at least a little bit of your 'day off' working.

I started my day by emptying the dishwasher and loading it again, wiping the counters, and emptying the kitchen trash and recycling.

Then I opened my laptop and logged into my work email and the MLS system, sent some listings and research to a new client, and returned a few voice mails left the previous night.

Then I took Marvin for a short walk because it was already uncomfortably hot outside although it was only 10am. I vacuumed the 1st and 2nd floors of our house and then changed into my swimsuit and packed a cooler bag with water bottles.

At noon I stopped in my office to drop off some keys and print some pages of a contract. At 12:30 I stopped in at 1 of my favorite sandwich shops and picked up a Cole Turkey Wrap (Turkey, cole slaw, cheese, Thousand Island dressing in a wrap) to go.

Next stop: the beach!

At 1:00 the thermometer on the car read 98 degrees when I parked at the beach parking lot. I knew it was hot, but since it was my day off I wanted to go the beach anyway. In addition to my sandwich I brought cold water to drink and an umbrella for shade. It turned out to be a great day! I saw several friends and the water was warm enough to go swimming. On my way home I passed a bank with a digital thermometer that read 102 degrees. I had the roof closed and the A/C on.

Just because I had chores to do and needed to do some real estate work, I still got to enjoy a couple hours at the beach thanks to mixing business with pleasure on my days off!

Monday, June 18, 2012

I worked on Sat, then Spouse & I had dinner at a new restaurant called Old Bay. We both ordered burgers which we found to be lackluster. That night I performed in the Legends show as Neil Sedaka.

The crowd really got into the performance and we all had a good time!

Sun morning Spouse & I met up with Steven for breakfast (Thad was visiting his mom in PA) at Crystal. We planned to go to the beach immediately after breakfast but the weather was very cool and overcast. So instead we came home and I pulled weeds while Spouse treated the roses. Cool overcast days are perfect for doing yard work. That afternoon we did a little outlet store shopping and took Marvin for a nice long walk. That evening we had dinner with Steven & Thad and our new friends Rahsan & Dennis at Purple Parrot. We walked Marvin again but this time a different route, then went over to Chris & Jason's house to watch "True Blood" with them. We got home a little past 10 and I felt exhausted so we went to bed.

Friday, June 15, 2012

I realized today that I had NO fragments saved for today's Friday fragments post. So instead I offer you this heartwarming true story.

In the weeks that we've had Marvin Spouse & I have been walking him a lot. Marvin loves walking. Often when we pass our neighbor's house we stop for a minute or two to visit with them when they're outside. They have a little boy - probably 5 or 6 years old - that really likes Marvin and Marvin wags his tail feverishly while the boy pets him. The boy's mother asked about Marvin and we explained that we adopted him from the SPCA.

The other day I was working late so Spouse walked Marvin without me. The neighbors were outside and the young boy noticed my absence.

"Where is that other man who walks Marvin with you?" he asked.

"He's at work" Spouse replied with a smile.

"I'm sorry he has to work late and miss Marvin's walk" he said sincerely.

"Oh, thank you. That's very nice of you" Spouse said.

Marvin was ready to continue his walk so Spouse wished the neighbors a good evening and started to walk away. Then he overheard the boy talk to his mother.

"Mom, that's a nice family Marvin has. I think Marvin is real happy with them."

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Yesterday I went into one of my favorite deli restaurants for a late lunch. It was about 3pm so the place wasn't very busy.

I chose a table near the wall and looked across the small dining area toward the window. I noticed an attractive, sexy young man eating a salad at a table in front of the window. So each time I looked out the window I saw the attractive young man.

The waiter came to my table and I noticed that he, too, was an attractive young man. I ordered and then watched the waiter visit the other tables asking the patrons if they needed anything. The attractive man at the window table followed the waiter with his eyes, then noticed me looking at him. I pretended to be looking out the window.

The waiter refilled drinks, brought extra napkins, and dropped of checks at some of the tables. All the while the guy at the window seat watched the waiter go from table to table. Then he stopped at the window table and the attractive man seated there smiled at him and they spoke briefly about something I couldn't hear.

I began to think "I wonder if the guy at the window table is the waiter's boyfriend?" Neither had any give-away signs of being gay, but the look in the one guy's eyes made me wonder if they were a couple.

The waiter brought my Cuban sandwich, then visited all of his tables again including the window table. Again the guy seated there smiled genuinely at the waiter.

As I was about 1/2 way through my sandwich, I noticed the guy at the window seat was getting up to leave. He walked over to where the waiter was entering an order into a computer touch screen. The patron said something to the waiter, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and patted his waste.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The other day I was in the Dollar Tree store to pick up some chip clips.

As I made my way to the register I saw a woman pushing a shopping cart full of loaves of bread. As she unloaded the contents of the cart onto the conveyor belt, it appeared she had 35-40 loaves of bread!

I tried to imagine why she would need/buy so many loaves of bread at one time. Was she making sandwiches for an entire Little League team? Was she making French Toast for a breakfast fundraiser? I kept coming up with more and more options.

Apparently this abundance of bread was too much for the cashier to fathom. She just had to know what was going on, so she asked the customer "Are you going to freeze most of this?"

The shopper smiled and said "No, this will all be eaten in a couple of days." The cashier replied "Really? You must have a houseful!", to which the customer replied "No, its for a hotel."

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Monday, June 11, 2012

Fri night Spouse & I had dinner with our friends Christy & Ted at Que Pasa. Its a beachfront Mexican restaurant where you can actually dine on the beach. It was lovely weather so we had margaritas and food at a table in the sand. It was cool.

Sun we had breakfast at Crystal restaurant with Steven & Thad, then the 4 of us went to the beach. Alisha & Jack showed up a little afterward. Spouse & I took a walk on the beach and ran into a bunch of other friends. It was such a beautiful day I didn't want to go home, but we eventually did and after showering, feeding and walking Marvin, we stopped at a store and then went to dinner with Steven & Thad at the Miltonian Pizzeria & Wing House. We all decided to suspend our diets/healthy eating and topped off our splurge with ice cream from Hopkins Dairy.

Our friends Chris & Jason invited us to come over and watch the season premier of True Blood with them. Spouse had been waiting for this!

Friday, June 08, 2012

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

We are starting to believe that Marvin may be younger than a year old. He is exhibiting more 'puppy' behaviors like carrying our shoes and flip flops around the house and then chewing on them. We've gotten him several chew toys which he loves and destroys in just days. We are really enjoying having him in our lives.

I saw this on facebook and couldn't resist sharing it.

Here is a cool photo website that you could easily spend countless hours viewing. Its an odd collection of rather unrelated photos, NSFW. Click on the word "brief" to advance the pages.

The Rehoboth Idol 2012 contest is underway. There are several really good singers and I'm enjoying watching and listening to the competition this year rather than participating in it.

Thursday, June 07, 2012

Last evening my real estate team attended a fundraiser for the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition called Bras for a Cause. Sponsors pay a fee to enter a bra into the contest, then decorate the bra with a theme, then get a male to model the bra at the event.

My team's bra was entitled "Brick House", and it was modeled by my colleague Garrett.

The models then 'work' the audience to get them to stuff tips into their bras. Then the bras are auctioned. Garrett was very nervous when the event was about to begin so I suggested he have a drink or 4. They helped reduce his nervousness and got him to really work the crowd. He won a trophy for collecting the most money in tips!

Monday, June 04, 2012

Steven & Thad came to the show, and our friends Marty & John were there and took these photos.

The show went really well! I really got into the character and songs and had a great time. After the show several people told me they enjoyed the show and that I did a great job. A bachelorette party asked me to be in their photos too. It was a fun night.

Friday, June 01, 2012

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

I saw this on facebook and thought it was funny.

One of the 'side effects' of having a young dog is the exercise we get from walking him several times a day. Marvin Parker can be pretty energetic so we walk him 3-4 times per day. He loves it and we get exercise too.

Could this be more poignant? I think not.

This week the Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA) was ruled unconstitutional! I'm not sure how this is going to play out, and I imagine there will be some sort of appeal of the decision, but at least is sounds like a positive development.

This is my weekend to work both Sat & Sun. Fortunately I have lots of showing appointments schedule.

Who Am I?

My name is Mark and I'm the writer of 'Tales of the Sissy'. I am an out gay man, happily partnered since 1996. I'm a Washington DC native, now living at the beach in Delaware since 2007. Read my introduction here.